Paris Favorites: Meet Contributor Margaret Kemp
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Have you seen the new France Today magazine? Now available on the newsstand, our sister publication has unveiled a new look! For the June-July 2016 issue, France Today showcases insider recommendations from some of the Paris-based journalists and bloggers who write for Bonjour Paris. These interviews will be published in full right here on Bonjour Paris, so that you can learn more about these fabulous writers. Enjoy! (Corey Frye’s interview can be found here; Leah Walker’s here; Lisa Czarina Michaud’s here, and Kasia Dietz’s here.)
Lifestyle journalist Margaret Kemp hails from Hampton, Middlesex, UK. Intensive cookery courses at the Cordon Bleu, a wedding gift from a very astute ex-husband, gave her the base that would take her travelling (leaving the astute one behind) in search of rare food and wine experiences. She has contributed to The Guardian, The Financial Times Weekend and How To Spend It.com, The Spectator, Condé Nast Traveller, Food & Travel, and Luxos Magazine.
Favorite restaurant or wine bar in Paris? Le Grande Vefour, located at 17 rue de Beaujolais in the 1st arrondissement, is a trip through time.
Favorite dish or gourmet food item in Paris? Fréderic Roberts’ Truffle Macaroni at La Grand Cascade, which is a restaurant housed in Napoleon III’s former hunting lodge in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne.
The perfect day in Paris? A swim in the pool at Le Royal Monceau, followed by breakfast at La Carette (4 place du Trocadero). Then I’d head off to Avenue de President Wilson to the vegetable and flower market which takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays. For lunch, I’d dine at Antoine on avenue de New York in the 16th, then spend the afternoon at the magnificent Musée Rodin, exploring the house, gardens and museum. Dinner chez Alain Passard, followed by a nightcap on the terrace bar of the Plaza Athénée or Le Publicis Drugstore on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées.
Favorite walk? The sun is shining and I’m walking up to Montmartre to visit the vineyards.
Boutique for unique, unusual finds? Izraël, L’Epicerie du Monde (spices)– located in the Marais district.
The best way to spend a Sunday in Paris? The world famous flea market, the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, located to the north of the city near Clignancourt. There are more than 2,500 antique dealers. Petrol pumps, stuffed zebras, cinema seats, anyone? Have lunch at the Philippe Starck-designed Ma Cocotte (106 rue de Rosiers) or if the wait’s too long, try Les Gastropodes, 140 rue de Rosiers. Another great option for a Sunday: flâner like a Frenchman along La Quai Voltaire and admire les bouquinistes, the booksellers who set up stalls along the Seine’s banks.
Lead photo credit : Margaret Kemp